Romney did acknowledge the historic nature of Obama’s 2008 campaign, in which he became the country’s first black president, but also made the case for his own candidacy, saying the president’s policies have made things worse for African-Americans “in almost every way.”
{mosads}Romney also noted that Vice President Biden is scheduled to follow him the next day at the convention.
“I just hope the Obama campaign doesn’t think you’re playing favorites,” he joked.
Romney later told Fox Business channel he “expected” the negative response.
TOMORROW’S AGENDA TODAY: Vice President Biden addresses the 103rd NAACP Annual Convention in Houston.
TWEET OF THE DAY: “Repealing #ACA is wrong. Was wrong 1st time. Wrong 31st time. Welcome to Groundhog Day in the House of Representatives.” — Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.).
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I can’t tell you anything about the VP process. If I did, I would have to come after you with my Men In Black flashlight and erase your memory.” — Mitt Romney on Fox Business channel.
POLL POSITION:
President Obama holds a small lead nationally over Mitt Romney in the latest Quinnipiac University poll, 46 percent to 43. And, as has been the case throughout the year, each candidate holds massive leads among specific constituencies, which has balanced the race nationally.
Obama leads Romney by 6 percentage points in Wisconsin, 50 percent to 44, according to the latest survey from the liberal-leaning Public Policy Polling.
Obama holds a 7-percentage-point lead over Romney in Pennsylvania, 47 percent to 40, according to a We Ask America poll.
Obama holds a lead of 11 percentage points over Romney in New Mexico, 51 percent to 40, according to a We Ask America poll.
AD WATCH:
The conservative super-PAC American Crossroads is aiming to turn the tables on Democrats by accusing President Obama of waging an economic “war on women.”
Obama’s campaign released a new video that raises pressure on Mitt Romney to provide more information on his personal finances for public scrutiny, using news footage of Republicans to pound Romney on the issue.
Meanwhile, Romney’s son, Craig Romney, stars in a Spanish-language ad praising his father’s personal successes and dedication.
Obama’s campaign team released a new television commercial ramping up attacks on Romney’s opposition to a plan that would extend the Bush-era tax cuts, but only on incomes below $250,000 per year.
BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE:
Florida: Rep. Sandy Adams (R-Fla.), House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee John Mica‘s (R-Fla.) opponent in a member-versus-member Republican primary, is calling for him to endorse a permanent ban on earmarking in the legislative process.
Utah: Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah), who faces a tough reelection bid, voted to repeal the healthcare reform law, 18 months after he opposed the same measure. He joined four other Dems, including vulnerable Rep. Larry Kissel (D-N.C.), in voting with Republicans on the repeal.
SENATE SHOWDOWN:
Indiana: Democrat Joe Donnelly is out with a new ad that portrays him as a bipartisan pragmatist while poking fun at his opponent, Republican Richard Mourdock, for his uncompromisingly conservative views.
Massachusetts: Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) raised an impressive $5 million in the second quarter, a total surpassed by few candidates — except his opponent, Democrat Elizabeth Warren, who brought in a whopping $8.6 million for her campaign.
Nebraska: The National Federation of Independent Business, a small business association, endorsed Republican Deb Fischer over Democrat Bob Kerrey, despite having previously supported retiring Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.).
Nevada: Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) quickly got out an ad hitting Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) on her ethics issues, but it does not mention the House Ethics Committee investigation, possibly because it was produced before the Monday announcement. From the ad: “Shelley Berkley took care of herself — and she got caught.” Also, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee reserved more than $2.3 million worth of television time for the fall to defend Berkley.
New Mexico: Rep. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) has a four-point advantage over former Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.), 49 percent to 45, according to a poll from Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates.
Virginia: Republican George Allen raised $2 million in the second quarter to Democrat Tim Kaine’s $3 million. He’s also out with a new ad touting his work as governor to reform the state’s welfare system. Meanwhile, Kaine leads Allen 46-44 percent, according to the poll from Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling.
Wisconsin: Tommy Thompson leads the field in Wisconsin’s crowded GOP Senate primary but Eric Hovde has surged into second place, according to a new poll from Marquette University. Thompson is at 35 percent in the poll, while Hovde is at 23, Mark Neumann fades to 10 and Jeff Fitzgerald slides to 6. The poll is the second in as many days to show Hovde surging.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
The House voted again Wednesday to repeal the 2010 healthcare reform law, giving Republicans some revenge against the late June Supreme Court ruling that found the law to be constitutional.
Michelle Obama took the president’s campaign to a niche in the Latino community. On Tuesday, during a campaign swing through Miami, Obama sat down for a half-hour filmed conversation with contributors to Miamiverse.com, a small but growing website aimed at Latino women, an important voting bloc in the upcoming election.
Mitt Romney will host a fundraiser in Jerusalem on July 29 during his trip to the Middle East, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Romney slammed President Obama for saying that Venezuela’s ties to Iran haven’t posed a “serious” threat to national security. “This is a stunning and shocking comment by the president,” Romney said in a statement. “It is disturbing to see him downplaying the threat posed to U.S. interests by a regime that openly wishes us ill.”
White House press secretary Jay Carney said Romney’s outsourcing charge against Obama “doesn’t pass the laugh test.”
Former Vice President Cheney will hold a high-dollar fundraiser for Romney at his Wyoming home on Thursday.
Democrats hoped to raise campaign funds from the House GOP’s second vote to repeal healthcare reform. They launched a new call for donations just hours before the vote is scheduled to take place.
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